Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.03.2007, Side 12

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12 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • 15 March 2007
From the Pioneer
Daughters
In 1940, The Pembina County Pioneer Daughters began collecting information on North Dakota’s homesteading period
in the late 1800s in the form of memoirs and
genealogical data. Recently George Freeman of
Grand Forks, ND compiled all of the accounts on
the early Icelandic settlements into one volume.
For more information on the Pembina County
Pioneer Daughters Biographies, contact George
Freeman at 2091 27 Ave. So., Grand Forks, ND,
58201, or by phone at (701) 772-3397.
Her maiden name was Anna Bjornson and her parents
were Fridbjorn Bjornson and Anna Sigridur Bjornson. She
was born in Iceland and came to America at the age of eight.
The family lived in Ontario for nearly two years. In 1875 they
moved to New Iceland, Manitoba on Lake Winnipeg, and I have
often heard mother tell of the wonderful experiences she had
in the new country; gathering blueberries with her brothers,
swimming in the lake, and the many interesting incidents
relating to the usually friendly Indians in the vicinity. Here
she was taught to read and write English.
In 1879 the family decided to move to the United States
as there didn’t seem to be a good future ahead where they were.
They went to Winnipeg by boat and there transferred to a train
for Pembina County, North Dakota. The next year my mother’s
father took up a homestead one mile south-east of Mountain
where a little Icelandic colony was established. The settlers
soon prospered and were happy. In 1885 my mother married
Asvaldur Sigurdson who had a wheat farm near Garder, N.D.
(He later was postmaster and Justice of the Peace at Eyford.)
In 1893 my parents moved to Sheridan, Oregon
and thence to Warrenton, Oregon, in 1899. There my father
operated a Clam Cannery for many years and when he retired
my brothers took up the business and established several other
Clam Canneries along the Washington coast and in Alaska.
My father received several medals for the fi ne quality of his
product and did very well.
There were thirteen children in the family, all of whom
reched maturity except Gudrun, a twin, who died at the age
of two and was buried at Mountain, N.D. My mother was an
invalid for fi fteen years, and bedfast for the last fi ve years of
her life. She had many fi ne friends and was a very wonderful
mother, always denying herself comforts and lavishing them on
her family. She had a very artistic temperament which found
expression in fancy work and the furnishings of the home. My
father died January 12th, 1937 and my mother died Dec.20th,
1938. They are buried side by side at Ocean View Cemetery,
Warrenton, Oregon.
History of Anna Sigurd
son, 1865-1938,
a pioneer mother of No
rth Dakota
(written by her daughte
r, Anna S. Willis, at Seat
tle,
Wash., April 27th, 1939
.)
[Note: genealogical data included in book edition.]
A COMMUNITY-FOCUSED
CREDIT UNION
COMMITTED TO CREATING
VALUE FOR OUR MEMBERSHIP
34 Centre Street, Gimli 642-6450
23 Stitt Street, Winnipeg Beach 389-2550
Minnist
Remember
Í ERFÐASKRÁM YÐAR
Please send Donations to:
Betel Home Foundation
Box 10
96 1st Avenue
Gimli, MB R0C 1B0
BETEL
First Lutheran Church
580 Victor Street
Winnipeg R3G 1R2
204-772-7444
www.mts.net/~fl cwin
Worship with us
Sundays 10:30 a.m.
Pastor Michael Kurtz
Lögberg-Heimskringla features this series of photographic mysteries
in conjunction with the Nel-
son Gerrard’s “Silent Flashes”
project, which explores early
photography among Icelandic
immigrants and their descen-
dants in North America during
the settlement period — from
1870 to 1910.
All unidentifi ed photo-
graphs featured in this series
were taken in Icelandic settle-
ments in Canada and the United
States during this era, and your
input is invited if you can pro-
vide any clues as to who these
people are.
Any successful solutions
will be published, but more
importantly these old photo-
graphic treasures can then be
archived for future generations.
Some may also be featured
in the upcoming book Silent
Flashes.
To obtain further informa-
tion on the “Silent Flashes”
project or to provide input, con-
tact Nelson Gerrard at 204-378-
2758 or eyrarbakki@hotmail.
com, or by mail at Box 925,
Arborg, Manitoba R0C 0A0.
Check out the “Silent Flash-
es” website and photo archive
at www.sagapublications.com.
Questions on your own
photographic mysteries are also
welcome.
Th e challenge is to write on a theme;
the theme of HERITAGE
Th e contest is divided into two age categories:
1) Junior: ages 16 and under
2) Adult: 17 and over
All entries will evaluated by an independent
panel of judges whose decisions will be fi nal.
Organizing Committee: David Gislason, Birna
Bjarnadóttir, and Svava Simundsson
Rules:
• Maximum entry length: 32 lines, typed, and
spaced
• Th e writer should not be identifi ed on the
entry: include a separate cover sheet with the
writer’s name, address, phone number, e-mail,
and the title of the poem enclosed
• Poetry must be original and written by you.
Previously published material cannot be
considered
• If you would like your material to be returned,
include a stamped self addressed envelope
• Multiply entries are allowed to a limit of three
per person
• Form: rhymed; free verse; any form of poetry,
(but not prose)
ICELANDIC NATIONAL LEAGUE
WINNIPEG CHAPTER FRÓN 2007 — CONVENTIONBest Poem Competition
Book prizes
and $100.00:
For 1st place winner’s in
categories
• Junior (ages: 16 & under)
• Adult (ages: 17 & over)
Winning entry will be
featured at the Icelandic
National League
Convention on April 27,
28, & 29, 2007 at the
Hotel Fort Garry in
Winnipeg, MB.
Winner may be asked
to present (or have an
alternative present) their
poem at the convention.
Deadline:
March 17, 2007
Postmarked no later than
March 17th, 2007 and
mailed to:
INL Poetry Competition
Department of Icelandic
357 University College
220 Dysart Road
University of Manitoba
R3T 2M8, Canada
We hereby elicit the brightest and best
To bring forth new rhythms, to rise to the test-
To dust off the stylus, to summon the bard
And send us your poem; it’s not all that hard!!
Photo
Mystery: Do you know these people?
A Churchbridge family. Photo taken by Jon Blondal of Win-
nipeg, very likely at Churchbridge, SK, in 1898.